Comments on: Book Review: The Big Switch http://www.platformonomics.com/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/ Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:56:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Nikolai Bezroukov http://www.platformonomics.com/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/comment-page-1/#comment-121 Nikolai Bezroukov Fri, 30 May 2008 20:08:27 +0000 http://66.147.242.168/~platfor7/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/#comment-121 <p>A very interesting review. Thank you. I tried to write more technology oriented critique of Carr's views (see http://www.softpanorama.org/Skeptics/IT_skeptic/it_obscurantism.) but it is still pretty raw. My feeling is that each and every of his recommendations is a fallacy. While Carr is definitely a gifted writer, ignorance of technology about which he is writing leads him to absurd conclusions which due to his lucid writing style looks quite plausible for non IT audience and as such influence public opinion about It. If you look closer at what Carr propose, this is a pretty reactionary and defeatist framework which I would call IT obscurantism and which is not that different from "creativism". His justifications are extremely weak and consists of one hand of usage of fuzzy facts and questionable analogies, on the other putting forward radical, absurd recommendations("Spend less", "Follow, don't lead", "Focus on vulnerabilities, not opportunities" and "move to utility-based "in the cloud" computing)which can hurt anybody who tries to adopt them. </p> A very interesting review. Thank you. I tried to write more technology oriented critique of Carr’s views (see http://www.softpanorama.org/Skeptics/IT_skeptic/it_obscurantism.) but it is still pretty raw. My feeling is that each and every of his recommendations is a fallacy. While Carr is definitely a gifted writer, ignorance of technology about which he is writing leads him to absurd conclusions which due to his lucid writing style looks quite plausible for non IT audience and as such influence public opinion about It. If you look closer at what Carr propose, this is a pretty reactionary and defeatist framework which I would call IT obscurantism and which is not that different from "creativism". His justifications are extremely weak and consists of one hand of usage of fuzzy facts and questionable analogies, on the other putting forward radical, absurd recommendations("Spend less", "Follow, don’t lead", "Focus on vulnerabilities, not opportunities" and "move to utility-based "in the cloud" computing)which can hurt anybody who tries to adopt them.

]]> By: Random Reader http://www.platformonomics.com/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/comment-page-1/#comment-120 Random Reader Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:43:09 +0000 http://66.147.242.168/~platfor7/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/#comment-120 <p>Any truth to the rumor you're now at Pii?</p> Any truth to the rumor you’re now at Pii?

]]> By: Anders Brown http://www.platformonomics.com/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/comment-page-1/#comment-119 Anders Brown Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:53:58 +0000 http://66.147.242.168/~platfor7/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/#comment-119 <p>Charles -- I read this and generally agree with you.I have always appreciated Carr's approach to these things, but find them too generic (my issue with "IT Doesn't Matter", of course, was that not all "IT" is created alike:key vertical systems that drive a business are quite different than file servers).In fact, at some point his argument in IT Doesn't Matter paints a tough picture to swallow:if all IT will be commoditized... then all businesses essentially have the same systems... which means they all look alike... which means there is no competitive differentiation?At least not enabled by technology.Really?Do we all asymptote to the same thing?Regardless, interesting insight you provided... much appreciated.</p> Charles — I read this and generally agree with you.I have always appreciated Carr’s approach to these things, but find them too generic (my issue with "IT Doesn’t Matter", of course, was that not all "IT" is created alike:key vertical systems that drive a business are quite different than file servers).In fact, at some point his argument in IT Doesn’t Matter paints a tough picture to swallow:if all IT will be commoditized… then all businesses essentially have the same systems… which means they all look alike… which means there is no competitive differentiation?At least not enabled by technology.Really?Do we all asymptote to the same thing?Regardless, interesting insight you provided… much appreciated.

]]> By: Book Review: The Big Switch http://www.platformonomics.com/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/comment-page-1/#comment-122 Book Review: The Big Switch Mon, 01 Jan 1900 00:00:00 +0000 http://66.147.242.168/~platfor7/2008/03/book-review-the-big-switch/#comment-122 <strong>RE: Book Review: The Big Switch</strong> <p>Book Review: The Big Switch</p> RE: Book Review: The Big Switch

Book Review: The Big Switch

]]>